Safety lock



Dec. 11, 1928.

R. ,1. ELLswoRTH SAFETY Lock Filed Dc. 4, 1926 x l L Patented Dec. 11, 1928.

1,695,184` UNITED -srArEs PATENT fol-"Flor,

vROSS J'. ELLSWORTH, OF VVOOIVJSTOCK, ILLINOIS, A.SSIG'GR TO'HOLMES IJISIPEAR-k ING BED COMPANY, OF WOODSTOCIL ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SAFETY 'Locic This invention relates to safety locks iior beds of the roller type and has tor its object the provision of a locking mechanism wherew by the movement ot thel head end or truck oi the lied relativelyv to the remainderl of the bed struct-ure may be arrested or limited.

lith the above and other objects in view, as will be apparent, this invention consists in the construction, combinationfand varrangement of parts all as hereinafter more fully describedclai1ned and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 isa longitudinal sectional view through the head end and truck ot a roller ing the subject matter of this invention.

Figure Qris a vertical section through the safety lock, along line 2-2rot Figure 1.

A roller type bed comprises oney wherein the headend is mounted on or constitutes a truck to which is pivoted the side rails of the bed., The foot end of the bed is'secured to the outer ends ot the side rails and the legs thereof are not provided with casters or rollers as would otherwise be v normally the case. In a bed of this type the side rails may be swung about their pivots so that the bodyof the bed may occupy a vertical posi'- tion and be supported in this position by the head end or truck, which is mountedl on rollersor casters to permit the movement ot the by the head end or truck. l

l/Vhen the bed is in its operative position,

i. e., when the side rails occupy a horizontal position,the legs of the'loot end ot the bed rest directly upon theA floor without any` intervening castersv or rollers; ri bed of'ythis character may be elevated to rest entirely 40 upon the head end or truck and when in such position may be freely moved from one po-v the bed be occupied when this occurs, the oce cupant might possibly be injured and in any type bed equipped with the safety lock torinevent the head end .of the bed vwould be col'- lapsed. f a l Thepresent invention is designed to limit and arrest the movement of the head end or truck of a roller type hed with respect to the side rails when the latter occupy their horizontal or operative positions but not to limit y or arrest the normal operation ot the foot-end andside rails relative. to the head end or truck. Thus by the useot the present invention any manipulation ot' the head .end or truck of thebed when'theY side rails are'in their horizontal or` operative positions willY cured to the lower edge thereof adjoining the head ends thereof. These lugsy 14 are pivoted bythe bolts 15V to the upper edges of the side plate 11. The foot end of the bed carried by v -therside rails `13 opposed to the head end 10v is not shown. By this arrangement, the side rails 13 together with all of the elements carried thereby, such asthe foot end, springs, struct-ure when the bed is entirely supported f mattress, etc., may be swung from the horizontalposition illustrated in tull lines in Fig.1 toa vertical position parallel tothe head end 10 and vice versa.-

`When the side rails occupy the horizontal or full line position of F l' the foot end of the'bed l(not shown) rests on the floor. Il under normal conditions the head endl() of the bed is grasped and a pressure placed thereon towardsthe rails'13 the forward rollers or casters 12will remain on the ioor while the rear casters or rollers 12 will be elevated as the vhead end 1() assumes a position at an angle tothe rails 18 as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig'. 1. Unless this Inovement is limited or arrested, a continued pres# sure on the head end 10 of thebed will cause the truck and head end 10l to continue the movement around the pivots 15 until the head end drops or -alls over on the rails 13 and any other elements carried by said rails.

In order to arrest or limit such movement.

an arcuate plate 16, having the teeth'17 on the Y inner' edge thereof,is eoncentrically arranged with respect to one oft the pivot bolts 15 of the side rails 13. Cooperating with the toothed edge 17 lof the plate 16 is a pawl .18 carried at they uppeieiid oi' the lever '19'. This lever 19 is pivoted, as at 20, to the side plate 11 between the arcuate plate 16 and said side plate so that the vpawl 18, which is laterally arranged with respect to the lcver..19, will be disposed above the toothed edge 17 ot the arcuate plate 16. The lower vend of the lever 19 is provided with a weight 21 by means otivhich the lever 19 occupies a substantially vertical position irrespective of the position ot the truck or oit the side plate 11.

-When the head end or truck 10 isv tilted about the 'forward roller or caster 12 to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1 the arcuate plate 1G will be so positioned by such movement thaty it will be engaged by the pawl 18. This result is obtained by the weight -21 of the lever 19 swinging the pawl so that its position withreference to the arcuate plate during and after the tilting action is changed whereby the operative or toothed end of the pawl engages the teeth17 and arrests or limits any further movement on the part of the head end or truck 10.

In other words, when all tour casters 12'are resting on the floor, the side rails 18 together with the elements carried thereby may be swung :freely about their pivots .15 without interruption or arrestation; the. teeth 17 of the arcuate 'platel passing the operative end or tooth ofthe pawl withoutengaging the same.` However,.ifthelposition ot' the head end or truck is changed with respect to the side rails lthe relative positions occupied by thepawl 18 and the .arcuate plate 16are changed due to the pivotedinounting of the pawl and the gravity weight 21 to throw the tooth or operative end of the pawl into the path of the teeth to be engaged thereby.

By this device and the'arran'gement heretotore described the movement of the head end or truck 10 beyond a given point is arrested or limited so that said head end may not` swing over to and rest upon the side rails 13 or the bed elements carried thereby whenin their operative positions. At the same time the device does not in any manner interfere with the normal movement oroperat-ion of the side rails relatively to theside plate or head end 10i That is claimed is: 1. The combination with a support, of rails, means by which the rails are pivoted for an unarrested swing in both directions relative thereto, and means for arresting the movement ot' said support relatively to said rails, comprising a ratchet carried by the rails concentrically with respect to the pivots thereof, and a 4weighted paivl pivotally mounted on the support for cooperation with the ratchet upon the movement ofsaid support relatively to the rails aforesaid. y

2. The combination with a support, ot a bed frame pivoted thereto, a toothed rack carried by said trame and disposed at the pivot thereof, and a pawl pivoted to said support to engage with said rack upon the support assuming an abnormal position `and to release said rack upon the return of the support to its normal position.

8. The combination with a support-,of a bedV iframe pivoted thereto, of a curved toothed rack carried by said frame concentrically with respect lto the pivot of the trame, and a weighted pawl pivoted to said support eccentrically with respect to the frame pivot, to automatically engage said rack on the movement ot" the support relatively to the trame and to automatically release said rack von the return movement oi the support.

4t. In a bed, the combination of a supportA ing structure, a bed frame pivoted to said.

structure, and normally inoperative means intermediate of the ends ot" the bed trame for preventing said structure from tilting with respect to saidtrame, the said means comprising a member .rigidly mounted on said trame and a locking device on said structure 'for engaging said member when said 'frame is tilted and thereby prevent further .tilting movement.

5. In a bed, the combination with a frame, of bed rails pivoted to said frame, and norinally inoperative means for preventing4 said trame from tilting on to said rails,@thesaid means comprising a gravity actuatedv pawl and ratchet mechanism on said trame and one oi? said rails. i.

ROSS J; ELLSWORTH. 

